Chula Vista Elementary School District Superintendent Francisco Escobedo (with red tie), seen here talking with teachers from Arroyo Vista Charter School in November 2012, said Thursday that it would be devastating to lose federal funds for California schools because of a controversy over standardized testing. / photo by K.C. Alfred • U-T San Diego

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Chula Vista Elementary School District Superintendent Francisco Escobedo (with red tie), seen here talking with teachers from Arroyo Vista Charter School in November 2012, said Thursday that it would be devastating to lose federal funds for California schools because of a controversy over standardized testing. / photo by K.C. Alfred • U-T San Diego

Without apologies or much controversy, the Chula Vista Elementary School District has been crunching test-score data to identify and honor its most effective teachers for the past six years.

In the corporate world of bottom lines, such a practice might seem routine. But in the politicized landscape of public education, using test scores to rate teachers can invite labor grievances and raise many questions about what those scores really mean.

“I hear some people say test scores don’t matter,” said Francisco Escobedo, superintendent of the Chula Vista Elementary School District. “Well, they do matter. They matter to parents, they matter to the community, they matter to real estate agents.”

CHULA VISTA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT

• 28,500 students

• 35 percent of the students are English- language learners

• 47 percent qualify for subsidized lunches

• 76 percent scored proficient or advanced in math on state tests, compared with 55 percent in the county and 52 percent in the state

• 70 percent scored proficient or better in English language arts, compared with 63 percent in the county and 57 percent in the state

API SCORES

The Chula Vista Elementary School District has outperformed the county and state on standardized tests. Here is a look at the district’s rising Academic Performance Index rankings, which are based on test scores:

2006: 767

2007: 782

2008: 811

2009: 833

2010: 848

2011: 861

2012: 870

Note: API scores range from 200 to 1,000, with 800 set as the state goal.

Escobedo doesn’t boost the salaries of teachers whose classes have the best test scores. Each year, he does send them a congratulatory letter and an invitation to a reception celebrating their success. He hosted that ceremony on Monday and inducted 323 teachers (25 percent of the classroom teaching force) into the elite club of high-achieving professionals.

The educators were singled out because at least 75 percent of their students scored proficient or advanced in math and English-language arts, based on state standardized tests administered annually in 2nd through 11th grades. Kindergarten and first-grade teachers who saw 75 percent or more of their students meet district goals in those subjects were also spotlighted.

“You are the transformational leaders in this organization,” Escobedo told the teachers over plastic platters of cheese and crackers, fruit and sweets. “I know the countless hours you put in. Excellence is what you stand for.”

The district doesn’t publicize the names of teachers who belong to the 75 Percent Gainers Club. But word gets around.

“There’s definitely a lot of attention on test scores here,” said Carla Mendoza, a 6th-grade teacher who made the club at McMillin Elementary School. “It’s nice to be recognized for the hard work we do.”

But longtime Chula Vista teacher Jim Groth said his district has crossed the line when it comes to emphasizing test scores. He’s uneasy with giving honors to a few teachers for test scores that he said are the cumulative result of many professionals’ efforts over years.

“The culture of the district has been test scores, test scores, test scores,” said Groth, who represents Imperial County and parts of San Diego County as a trustee for the California Teachers Association. “I’m proud of my district. But we have to ask, ‘Are we creating a well-rounded child or are we creating a child who can fill in bubbles?’”

The district’s administrators and principals also take note of teachers who make the 50 Percent or 25 Percent clubs. Those instructors, who had at least half of their students score below proficient, are offered professional-development support.

What’s more, educators whose classes registered low test scores can’t apply to teach after-hours tutorials designed to help the district’s most under-performing students. Only teachers in the 75 Percent Gainers Club can take those positions, which come with extra pay.

The teachers union has challenged the criteria for those jobs, but the administration has vowed to maintain its requirements.

The focus on test scores in Chula Vista extends beyond teachers to students and parents.

McMillin Elementary School holds an annual, campus-wide ceremony to honor students who earn top marks or dramatically improve their test scores. Students are called out by the principal and awarded shiny medals during the assembly, which is typically well-attended by camera-toting parents and grandparents.

At the ceremony held in September, guests burst into applause when the principal named a girl whose scores went from below basic to basic.

Students who didn’t score well enough to earn a medal were offered inspiration by their teachers.

At that assembly, Marissa Barlisan navigated her stroller through the crowd to stake out a prime spot so she could photograph her son, who was among those earning a medal. “I think it’s important,” Barlisan said.

Test scores are so significant at McMillin that many students know their individual test scores. At the conclusion of the medal ceremony, spectators chanted “940, 940, 940” — the Academic Performance Index rating the school hopes to earn this year based on standardized-test scores.

In other parts of the state and country, the debate over how much teachers should be held accountable for student achievement has been more controversial.

This fall, about 26,000 teachers in Chicago walked out of their classrooms to strike over a new evaluation system that would have relied heavily on test scores.

The Los Angeles Unified School District is under a court order to include test scores in its teacher evaluations. The Los Angeles Times stirred much debate in 2010 when it published teacher rankings based on a “value-added” analysis of test scores.

And federal Race to the Top grants now factor test-score data into the application process.

Crunching such statistics using the “value-added” model allows educators to track test-score trends for individual students and set specific goals for improvement. The system aims to identify which teachers generate the most progress from students, as well as those who fail to drive up test scores.

Advocates of the approach said it helps administrators identify effective instructors. The system is also billed as a way to single out educators who need improvement, including those who should be terminated.

Value-added rankings are often criticized as skewed because they do not factor in poverty, language barriers, family stability and other obstacles to education.

“It’s a political reality that that’s a measurement, especially under (the federal No Child Left Behind Act) and Race to the Top grants,” said Groth, the California Teachers Association representative. “If you base a school district simply on test scores, Chula Vista has done very well.”